The state-owned mining company Iscor started developing the township, originally named Sishen, in 1953 to accommodate the local miners.[2] The houses were sold to individuals in the early 1980s.[3] On 23 June 1990 the town's name was changed from Sishen to Dingleton.[2]

The vicinity of the mining activities led to complaints from the residents of Dingleton, and expectations that the residents would be relocated. The town's infrastructure is old and in disrepair.[3] To allow for Sishen’s expansion, Kumba, an Anglo American subsidiary, intends to relocate the Dingleton community.[4]